Sosa Misses Chance in 10th

Sammy Sosa not only had a chance to hit his 59th home run Sunday, he also had an opportunity to win a game for the Chicago Cubs.

With the score tied, 3-3, two out and the count full in the top of the 10th inning against the Pirates, he swung and missed at one of reliever Rich Loiselle’s 90 mph fastballs.

Then, in the bottom half of the inning, Jason Kendall hit a high drive over the left-field wall to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 victory.

“To lose a game like that in the bottom of the 10th with a home run like that, hey, you got to tip your hat to the guy,” Sosa said.

Even Pirate fans were chanting “Sammy, Sammy” during Sosa’s five at-bats

His two singles may have helped the Cubs’ cause but left western Pennsylvania fans such as Mike Tulley, a 38-year-old car mechanic, disappointed.

“He comes here and parks two out in right field, but not the day I come,” Tulley groused.

Sosa, too, left subdued, sighing that “I can’t hit a home run every time I come to the plate.”

Despite the loss, the Cubs remained one game ahead of New York in the National League wild-card race as the Mets lost, 4-0, to the Atlanta Braves.

The one-game cushion was enough to help turn Sosa’s attention to a two-game series against the Cardinals and Mark McGwire: “McGwire’s gonna be there, myself. The fans gonna go crazy. This is gonna be like the World Series.”